Posted on 11/04/2006 6:36:11 PM PST by FlJoePa
During the ABC telecast of today's Penn State football game, announcer Craig James called Joe Paterno an 'old fart,' while congratulating Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema on his game strategy.
ABC/ESPN college football spokesman Josh Krulewitz confirmed to Patriot-News reporter David Jones that James did in fact refer to Joe Paterno as an old fart. Krulewitz, reached by phone in Connecticut, didn't have any comments on the derogatory term, but said, "I'm going to have to speak with some people first."
- David Jones, The Patriot-News
PSU lost the game, and Joe was wiped out by his own TE on the sideline and has suffered a knee injury, but he doesn't deserve this.
James has "sort of apologized", but it isn't good enough.
Please make your feelings known here:
Only we PSU fans may call JoePa an "Old Fart".
Just call me a proud "old f@rt".
They just fired a dj in Mass. for calling one of the gubernatorial candidates a fat lesbian.
please tell me this is from scrappleface.
after craig gets fired, penn st should sue. good grief.
I think JoePa would probably call himself an old fart.
Please, this PC crap must stop. He apologized, Craig James is a moron, but this is silly.
I think ol' Joe's hide is thick enough to take some ribbing. Besides, we old farts wear the old fart label with pride.
He should have retired after his Rose Bowl. He's dragged the program down ever since.
Well, he did have to change his drawers during the game at Ohio State this year. I've never seen an old guy head for the bathroom so fast in my life.
I've just contacted them. To tell them not to listen to you.
Well, they were within 1 second (@ MI) of going 12-0 last year. I guess Joe "dragged it down" to the point where they were within an eyelash of a national championship.
And waht's wrong with being an old fart??!!
Hell, I wear that moniker with pride....
One season in ten. Hardly an Ohio State. And I'm not a Buckeye fan.
Better an old fart than to be a dead fart!
I just want him fired because he sucks. Joe has outlasted 100 Craig James's. I'm just tired of looking at him and listening to his slants.
Joe Paterno I know.
Who is Craig James other a talking head?
Blasphemy! Who is this Craig James guy?
Joe Pa is one of the greatest college football couches of all time!
Show the man the respect he deserves or step away from the mike.
My mother was from PA and in our house Joe Pa was revered and held near saintly status. Her ceramic Nittany Lion, held a special place on the mantle, second only to her statue of the Virgin Mary.
Having lived most my life in Maryland, I am a Terps fan (Fear the Turtle – they beat Clemson today!) but I will always have a special place in my heart for Penn State and will always root for them also.
The only college football game I’ve gone to so far in my life was back in the eighties in Happy Valley – Penn State vs. Notre Dame. I like the NFL (Ravens) but I like college ball even better ever since.
One day I’d like to go to the Army – Navy game.
I'll send my complaint to ESPN. Thanks for the link.
Craig James is a big Douche-Bag!!
and I'm not a Penn St. fan.
The guy is a living legend in PA. You DO NOT make fun of JoePa .
Sure..any announcer should be able to call anyone any name s/he wishes..say anything about them and even cuss them out if they wish... /s..
Why can't an announcer just call the game and report?? I don't really care what an announcer thinks about a coach..the TV show is not about the announcer, it is about the GAME.....
Craig James is an old fart. And he drinks really cheap whiskey!
LOL - I see you got the email concerning our "old friend".
Cheap whiskey indeed...
Surely you remember Craig James. He and Eric Dickerson and several other players took boatloads of cash to play for SMU back in the late 70's & early 80's. They became very competitive for a while, before they got caught and the SMU football program got the death penalty.
But hey, Craig is the soul of integrity and honesty.
Conversely, I doubt Paterno would mind being called an old fart. Remember, he's a great Republican.
An update:
One of PSU's official websites is reporting that Joe's tests (from his collision yesterday) reveal "fractures".
He is also said to be going about his usual Sunday preparation for next Saturday's game.
Last night the students wrapped a bandage around the left leg of the statue of Joe that stands outside Beaver Stadium.
Get better Joe.
Paging ABC's advertisers...
Jeepers, and that's just the x-rays, no word on the MRI yet?
Get well soon, Coach.
For those interested in Craig James and what he actually SAID yesterday, here is a story that basically lists all the pertinent quotes:
ABC analyst Craig James made some strong comments about Penn State coach Joe Paterno during the halftime show of the Nittany Lions' 13-3 loss at Wisconsin Saturday.
In case you missed it, here is what James said.
On the set with host John Saunders and fellow analyst Doug Flutie, James was talking about Paterno walking off the field at halftime, when the coach yelled at an ABC cameraman to back away.
“So JoePa goes in at halftime, and I mean the camera crew is following him, and JoePa's Geritol, the Geritol that he had too much of this morning, kicks in,” James said. “Must of had, must of had bad beans in his soup last night. Man JoePa is fired up and ready to get after him.”
Later in the halftime report, the panel discussed Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema's strategy of having his team purposely run offside on back-to-back kickoffs late in the second quarter to run time off the clock.
“They just happened to be offside…” James said. “Way to go Coach Bielema."
Then James raised his fist in the air and said, “Give it to the old fart.”
Paterno was injured in the third quarter of the game, when two players crashed into him on the sideline. He was forced to leave the field and fly home to State College for medical treatment.
Immediately after the game, James indicated his halftime comments about Paterno were a joke.
Later, in the ABC pregame show before the 8 p.m. Miami-Virginia Tech game, James apologized for using an inadvertent comment about Paterno and said he hoped the coach would be OK.
In the meantime, the Penn State football team's official website, GoPSF.com, has posted James' halftime comments in its “Buzz” section and is encouraging fans to e-mail ABC to complain.
A source close to the PSU program said ABC and James have attempted to contact Paterno
Based upon James' apology, it would appear that he's claiming this was just a botched joke. That sort of thing seems to be going around lately...
Guess what, Mr. James, we aren't laughing.
If you had any class, you'd apologize for being rude and offensive.
And if your network had any class, they'd insist upon it.
I agree. PC will be our un-doing. It now controls, either directly or indirectly, absolutely every phase of American society. It runs the gamut from entertainment commentary crap like this, to determining how we fight wars.
That said, it'll be interesting to see the difference in how ESPN handles this vs. how it reacted to Rush's politically incorrect comment about Donovan McNabb.
MM
Any reason why this was moved to "chat?" While the free world isn't hinging on it's outcome, this is a legit story, with legit links to newspapers. I see constant fluff kept in the general forums that should be put in chat, yet I never complain.
Joe has done as much for the conservative cause as nearly anyone on this forum (sans JimRob, obviously).
Why can't we hold ABC responsible for this confessed cheater (craig james) and his comments?
I saw the game. Craig's comments were nothing more than good-natured ribbing...not the least bit insulting to Paterno. Clearly the comment about Geritol was intended to simply convey surprise at Paternos uncharacteristically feisty response to the cameraman.
As for the other comment, well, Paterno *is* an ancient coach that keeps hanging in there, and the other coach *was* causing him to lose it a bit. Do either of those comments actually suggest anything bad about Paterno?
Papa Joe is a gentleman and Republican. BTW who is this Criag James? Never heard of him.
Ain't that the truth!
Craig James as a Running back for SMU back in the early 80s and for the Patriots in the NFL during the mid-80s.
He was pretty good at SMU, but never really did much in the NFL (outside of one year).
I honestly think he's paid by ABC to be controversial.
Its okay for other old folks to say something like that, but for a younger person even an adult to say it... I guess it is me, and how I was raised but you dont make a joke at the expense of someone your senior.
As for James comment "I'm going to have to speak with some people first."
I wish he'd speak to me, because there'd be no talking, I'd just love to give him a swift kick in the __ for disrespecting a coaching legend....
What a putz!
Joe......you MAGNIFICENT old Fart.......
"He can't do that to our pledges! Only we can do that to our pledges!" ;^)
If that's the best down time chatter he can do....it must suck to be him.
Craig James is a jackass. This clown has nothing good to say about anyone from a non BCS conference. It's friggin ironic since he played his college football at SMU. In fact he was at SMU when they were cheating, SMU recieved the so called Death Penalty fromm the NCAA shortly after he graduated. Paterno may be old, but he has more football savy in his little toe, and more class than BCS whore Craig James.
The comments were from well before the injury.
Well, he is! What of it?
JoePa isn't an old fart. But Bobby Bowden is.
I'd like to see how many 79 year olds could sustain that kind of injury. JoePa is a tough old bird. Craig would have probably been crying like a little girl if that happened to him.
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